His clients tend to be “social introverts,” people who enjoy activities but need to be alone afterward to recharge.

And:

When the group meets, Renzi has them all agree to a few specific principles, including, she says, “Honour one another’s needs and preferences for personal time and space and right to silence, and encourage one another to take personal time and skip group activities as needed. Be open to different belief systems, ways of behaving, communication styles.”

The trips are usually capped at 16 people, and many now have waiting lists. “The demand has certainly been growing,” Renzi says.

...Several African countries have introduced state loan schemes. But governments have struggled to chase up debts. The private sector is now trying to do a better job. Kepler and Akilah, an all-female college in Kigali, are working with Chancen International, a German foundation, to try out a model of student financing popular among economists—Income Share Agreements. Chancen pays the upfront costs of a select group of students. Once they graduate, alumni pay Chancen a share of their monthly income, up to a maximum of 180% of the original loan. If they do not get a job, they pay nothing.

GiveDirectly is a charity that does exactly what its name implies: It gives poor people money directly, no strings attached. It primarily targets the poorest populations in the world, where money goes the farthest: GiveDirectly organizers go to villages, get residents signed up, and then transfer them about $1,500 cash each in installments.

A few years ago, GiveDirectly decided to test its cash model in a different domain: disaster relief. Instead of trying to rebuild homes or provide food, they’d do what they do best: give the survivors money.

Yesterday, the organization announced that it will be doing its disaster relief work on a larger scale, in partnership with Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm.

Once upon a time, in one of the busiest parts of one of the busiest cities in the world, the people were so busy, they didn’t have time to finish reading lengthy works of fiction.

So three vending machines were set up, dishing out not chocolate bars or cans of drink, but free short stories to those rushing by.

In other words, the UK’s first short story vending machines have been installed in London’s Canary Wharf, issuing one, three and five-minute reads by authors from Virginia Woolf to Charles Dickens at the touch of a button.

Created by French company Short Édition, the vending machines feature thousands of stories printed on scrolls of eco-friendly papyrus paper at no cost - and even feature a specially commissioned crime story, Mr Robinson, by bestselling novelist Anthony Horowitz.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

TITUSS BURGESS doesn’t like to travel and says he knows “zero” about South Africa, which would seem to make him an unlikely host for a 10-day tour of that nation, especially one that costs nearly $27,000 a head. But on a chill March night, the actor, best known for his role as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” patiently posed for selfies with travel journalists at a Manhattan wine bar to kick off Heritage Tours’ new Spotlight Series of trips. The company describes the tours as “immersive small-group experiences enhanced by the presence of expert personalities and influencers.”

…While Mr. MacMillan says that the hosts for his trips were chosen for their connection to the destinations, the link can seem tenuous (có ít thực chất, ít ý nghĩa, rất mong manh, hời hợt). Courtney Reed, who played Princess Jasmine in Disney ’s “Aladdin” on Broadway will be hosting a trip to Spain focused on wine, fashion and food. She’s never been to Spain, but is “extra thrilled” about going. “I think my role is just to provide social ambience,” she said. “I’m a very easygoing person and I can create extra flair just having fun and appreciating our surroundings. I’m like a cheerleader….We’re going to have a blast!”

…Other travel companies are hitching their wagons to stars who don’t merely gild the travel experience, but add bona fide (không lừa dối, không gian dối, ngay tình) knowledge or expertise. “There’s only so much caviar and champagne you can give passengers, so we like to enrich their experience in an intelligent way,” said Barbara Muckermann, chief marketing officer of Silversea Cruises. The cruise line, which has at least one expert lecturer on each of its ships, invited nine artists, writers and other creative types including authors Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer and Saroo Brierley to make appearances during its 133-day World Cruise 2019. Besides giving lectures, each is contributing to a commemorative (để kỷ niệm, để tưởng niệm) anthology (hợp tuyển) that Silversea line is creating for the passengers.

Monday, April 22, 2019

The process of recomposition essentially turns dead bodies (xác chết) into soil (đất), a practice colloquially known as "human composting." According to the bill's language, this is the practice of "contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil."

..."While the dead body is being broken down, Spade said families of the deceased (người quá cố) will be able to visit the facility and will ultimately receive the soil that remains of their loved. It is up to the family how they want to use that soil, Spade said.

"And if they don't want that soil, we'll partner with local conservation (bảo tồn) groups around the Puget Sound region so that that soil will be used to nourish (nuôi dưỡng) the land here in the state," she said.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Valet-parking droids will go on trial at Gatwick in August, called STAN

Stan isn’t some ghostly valet (đầy tớ, người hầu) from a budget (ngân sách, eo hẹp về tiền nong) American horror (kinh dị) film though, but a small forklift-style robot that will literally pick your car up and drop it into an ultra-tight space without even needing to see your keys.

Created by Stanley Robotics and set to be trialled at Gatwick Airport in August this year, the little droid will then use your flight numbers to ensure that your car is ready and waiting back at the drop-off/pick-up cabin on your return from holiday.

...The main aim for Stan is to increase the number of cars that can be parked in any given area, and the trial at Gatwick should allow space for 270 robotically parked cars where you and I could only fit 170.

…the business world has been increasingly aware of the genre's potential. In 2017, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the professional services firm that advises 440 of the Fortune 500 companies, published a blueprint for using science fiction to explore business innovation. The same year, the Harvard Business Review argued that "business leaders need to read more science fiction" in order to stay ahead of the curve…

A number of companies, along with a loose constellation of designers, marketers, and consultants, have formed to expedite the messy creative visualization process that used to take decades. For a fee, they'll prototype a possible future for a [corporate] client, replete with characters who live in it, at as deep a level as a company can afford. They aim to do what science fiction has always done — build rich speculative worlds, describe that world's bounty and perils, and, finally, envision how that future might fall to pieces.

Alternatively referred to as sci-fi prototyping, futurecasting, or worldbuilding, the goal of these companies is generally the same: help clients create forward-looking fiction to generate ideas and IP for progress or profit. Each of the biggest practitioners believe they have their own formulas for helping clients negotiate the future. And corporations like Ford, Nike, Intel, and Hershey's, it turns out, are willing to pay hefty sums for their own in-house Minority Reports.

My dog lived to be 14 years old, but the last six months of his life were really hard. This only amounted to about 3% of his time with me, but when I think about him now, it's his bad last days that I remember most vividly, not the healthy and happy years we had together. Why is this?

—Jeremy

Psychologists (nhà tâm lý học) have found that our memories (ký ức) of an experience (trải nghiệm) are strongly influenced (bị ảnh hưởng mạnh) by the way it ends (cách chúng kết thúc)—the last day of a vacation, the last scene of a movie. So it's no wonder that your memories of your dog are colored by the end of his life. I'd suggest that you try to give yourself a new ending to focus on. Write down your good memories about your dog, ask friends to add their own stories and then spend some time just going over these positive memories. They'll become the new conclusion of your dog's story.

Chad Haag considered living in a cave to escape his student debt. He had a friend doing it. But after some plotting, he settled on what he considered a less risky plan. This year, he relocated to a jungle (rừng rậm) in India. "I've put America behind me," Haag, 29, said.

He now lives in a concrete house in the village (ngôi làng) of Uchakkada for $50 a month. His backyard is filled with coconut trees (cây dừa) and chickens (gà). "I saw four elephants (voi) just yesterday," he said, adding that he hopes to never set foot in a Walmart again.

His debt is currently on its way to default. But more than 9,000 miles away from Colorado, Haag said, his student loans don't feel real anymore.

"It's kind of like, if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it really exist?" he said.

The philosophy major concedes that his student loan balance of around $20,000 isn't as large as the burden shouldered by many other borrowers, but he said his difficultly finding a college-level job in the U.S. has made that debt oppressive (đè nặng, nặng trĩu) nonetheless. "If you're not making a living wage," Haag said, "$20,000 in debt is devastating (tàn phá, phá hủy, phá phách)."

While the developed city state of Singapore does not suffer major congestion (đông nghịt, tắc nghẽn (đường sá...); sung huyết; nghẽn mạng), it is seen as a perfect test-bed for new technologies due to its compact size and openness to innovation.

German firm Volocopter said on Tuesday it will conduct the test flights in Singapore in the second half of next year with the support of the government.

Resembling a helicopter (giống máy bay trực thăng), Volocopter’s electric air taxis take off and land vertically (cất/hạ cánh lên xuống theo chiều thẳng đứng). They are based on drone (thiết bị bay không người lái) technology and can fly two people for around 30km...

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

I have several friends who have self-published books on Amazon. After reading the books, I am usually aghast at the poor quality of the writing, and sometimes there is even a gross (thô bạo, trắng trợn, hiển nhiên, sờ sờ) twisting (bóp méo, xuyên tạc, cố ý làm sai nghĩa) of the truth in the retelling of a life experience that I have seen firsthand. Even so, I try to say something positive—without getting into too many details—but then my friends ask me to submit an online review, to go along with all the other five-star reviews they somehow managed to get. I care about my friends, but I also don't want to give a false recommendation. How would you handle this conflict?

—Jerry

Life is full of situations where we are asked to trade our integrity (chính trực, liêm chính) for other interests, such as sparing the feelings of a friend. But once we start giving up our integrity, it is a slippery slope: We are likely to do it more and more until at some point we stop feeling bad about it. What does this mean in your case? Writing a positive review of a book you don't like may seem like a one-time sacrifice of honesty for the sake of friendship. But given that your long-term integrity is also on the line, I would not give it up. Gently decline your friend's request for a review—but do keep on investing in your friendship.

Monday, August 6, 2018

I recently decided to remodel my bathroom (nhà vệ sinh, nhà tắm) myself (tự làm) instead of hiring a contractor (nhà thầu) to do it, which would have cost $65,000. I did it myself for $25,000 in materials and some hired help. It took up my weekends for nine months (mất trọn các ngày cuối tuần trong 9 tháng), time that I otherwise would have spent in advancing my career. I enjoy the hands-on work, but would I have been better off focusing on my job (tập trung công việc) and trying to earn more money (kiếm thêm tiền)? Was the bathroom worth it?

—Will

While it’s certainly more time-efficient (hiệu quả về thời gian) to hire (thuê) a contractor, and you could have used the time to further your career, it sounds like you got a lot of satisfaction (thỏa mãn) out of remodeling the bathroom yourself. Several colleagues and I conducted research a few year ago on what we called the “Ikea effect.” (hiệu ứng Ikea) It turns out that when we assemble something ourselves, we end up taking a lot of pride in it, and for a long time. So I wouldn’t just think about money and time. Think also about the pleasure of inviting friends to your home, showing them your bathroom and taking pride in your craftsmanship (sự khéo tay, lành nghề/thạo nghề).

Saturday, June 30, 2018

The ruling stems from a case in which phone location data was gathered about a man suspected (and eventually convicted) of armed robberies of Detroit-area Radio Shack and T-Mobile stores.

Location data is used for all kinds of things; wireless companies can use it to help figure out how heavy traffic is in certain spots at certain times of day, and they also aggregate and sell it to other companies that can use it for marketing and other purposes. It can also be used to track your whereabouts (such as whether you were near a bank around the time it was robbed).

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in his majority opinion that the decision "is a narrow one," and that it won't affect the ability to use location data for emergencies or situations related to national security.

On Feb. 13 last year, the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un was killed in an airport in Malaysia, in what the U.S. Department of State concluded was an assassination (ám sát) using a nerve agent (chất độc thần kinh). As North Korea and Malaysia were roiled (khuấy đục, chọc tức, làm phát cáu) in a diplomatic dispute (tranh cãi ngoại giao), one entrepreneur in Japan and his budding news service were about to reap (gặt hái, thu về) some attention (sự chú ý).

News of Kim Jong-Nam’s death was quickly picked up in Japan not by one of the country’s giant media conglomerates, but by a small startup (công ty khởi nghiệp nhỏ). JX Press Corp., a news technology venture (mạo hiểm) founded (được thành lập) in 2008 by Katsuhiro Yoneshige while he was still a freshman (sinh viên năm nhất) in college, reported the incident more than half an hour faster than the big names, according to one observer. It did so even though it has no journalists, let alone any international bureaus.

"NewsDigest got the scoop at 19:52, and TV stations had it about 20:30," sociologist (nhà xã hội học) Noritoshi Furuichi wrote on Twitter after reports of Kim’s death. "Television has succumbed (thua, không chống nổi) to being a slow media."

JX Press’s secret, it turns out, is a combination of social media (mạng xã hội) and artificial intelligence (trí thông minh nhân tạo). Yoneshige and his team have developed a tool, using machine learning (học máy), for finding breaking news in social media posts and writing it up as news reports. Essentially, it’s a newsroom staffed by engineers.

...JX Press has some high-profile financial backers, including Japanese media giant Nikkei Inc. and venture capital companies Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co. and CyberAgent Ventures Inc. Its clients include many of Japan’s biggest broadcasters, such as NHK, TV Asahi and Fuji Television, all of which pay a monthly subscription -- which Yoneshige declines to disclose -- to use Fast Alert.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

At a “fast casual” restaurant without table service, the payment screen offered me a “No Tip” option or tips of 15%, 18% and 20%. I felt these were too high, since I had stood in line and was carrying my own food. I gave the minimum 15%—still a lot more than I have ever tipped in a fast-food place. I felt manipulated by the screen and wonder if this system prods people to tip more.

—Robert

Yes, such screens boost tips through a design principle called “active choice.” Many fast-food restaurants simply have an easily ignorable (có thể phớt lờ đi) tip jar. But with the screen, neglecting to tip feels much worse, like a rejection (từ chối) of the staff (bồi bàn). On the other hand, please remember that the people working at fast-food places work just as many hours as standard servers, for less money. Many may not be making a living wage (tiền lương vừa đủ sống). Helping them out a bit is a good thing to do.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

...Up to this point, humans are reported to have only reached “limited” AI, where machines have mastered chess and other complex games. The same machines would be useless if used to play Monopoly. But this, according to Kissinger, already shows the intimidating (đe dọa, dọa dẫm) nature of AI. AlphaZero, a computer program designed by DeepMind, Google’s AI wing, just a few hours (sau vài giờ) after learning chess (học chơi cờ), “achieved a level of skill (đạt được trình độ) that took human beings 1,500 years to attain (mà con người mất 1.500 năm mới đạt được),” said Kissinger. Reaching “superintelligence,” as warned by Oxford Professor Nick Bostrom, where machines have supplanted (thay thế, chiếm chỗ, hất cẳng) humans on a variety of topics, could spell disaster (thảm họa). “If AlphaZero was able to achieve this mastery (sự tinh thông, sự thành thạo; bậc thầy) so rapidly, where will AI be in five years?” asked Kissinger.

...For Kissinger, there are three particular areas humans should be worried about: “unintended results,” where AI’s goals depart from its creators. (The classic example: tasking AI with removing email spam. The best way to do this? Erasing humans.); building an ethical AI; and whether AI will be able to explain its objectives to its creators.

Apparently the employee was paid to sit among the boxes on Harrods top-floor smoking his pipe and reading the Sporting Life. From time to time a bell would ring and he would be summoned (gọi đến, triệu đến) to a department where an irate (nổi giận, giận dữ) customer was being mollified (làm nguôi, xoa dịu) by the Head of the Department.

Let us say today that Lady Ponsonby-Waffles has discovered one of the precious china teacups she recently purchased is chipped.

The Department Head greets our friend with “Lady Ponsonby-Waffles is a most valued customer, your failure to check the quality of her china cups has led to her current predicament, you sir are fired”

Despite Lady Ponsonby-Waffles pleas for mercy, the Head cannot be swayed (đu đưa, lắc, gây ảnh hưởng, tác động). Our friend slopes (chuồn, biến, lẩn) disconsolately (thất vọng, chán chường) to the exit. Lady Ponsonby-Waffles drops her complaint convinced to the store’s determination to enforce the highest standards. Our friend, once passing the Department’s exit, slips back to his Sporting Life and his Pipe, to await the next occasion he would be called upon to be sacked (sa thải).

Monday, March 19, 2018

At the University of Arizona, school officials know when students are going to drop out before they do.

The public college in Tucson has been quietly collecting data on its first-year students’ ID card swipes around campus for the last few years. The ID cards are given to every enrolled student and can be used at nearly 700 campus locations including vending machines, libraries, labs, residence halls, the student union center, and movie theaters.

They also have an embedded sensor that can be used to track geographic history whenever the card is swiped. These data are fed into an analytics system that finds “highly accurate indicators” of potential dropouts, according to a press release last week from the university. “By getting [student’s] digital traces, you can explore their patterns of movement, behavior and interactions, and that tells you a great deal about them,” Sudha Ram, a professor of management systems, and director of the program, said in the release. “It’s really not designed to track their social interactions, but you can, because you have a timestamp and location information,” Ram added.

...The boom in e-commerce means UPS now delivers as many as 31 million packages a day.

...UPS sees advanced analytics as critical to addressing this challenge. In 2016, it began collecting data across its facilities. Today there are about 25 projects based on that data, grouped under the acronym EDGE (which stands for “enhanced dynamic global execution”). The program has sparked changes in everything from how workers place packages inside delivery trucks in the morning to how the vast army of temporary hires that UPS recruits during the busy holiday season are trained. Eventually, data will even dictate when UPS vehicles get washed.

The company expects to save $200 million to $300 million a year once the program is fully deployed.

EDGE is only one of several technology projects UPS is undertaking to improve its deliveries in the 220 countries and territories it serves. Its $1 billion annual technology budget also covers upgrades in drivers’ tools, including the handheld computing devices they use to scan packages and collect customer signatures, and mapping software called ORION (for “on-road integrated optimization and navigation”) that calculates the most efficient way for drivers to complete their routes...